My Place
by bethbat06
Summary: Persona 5 story about Ryuji and Akira (the P5 protagonist.) It's not set at a specific time, so there are no major spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Akira Kurusu lay on his bed, chatting with Ryuji Sakamoto, who was lounging on the couch across the room. They had spent the afternoon in the cafe, drinking and studying. At least, that had been the plan. They hadn't ended up studying much at all. Instead, the two students had started teasing each other and soon gave up the thought of serious work altogether. After they finished their drinks, they had moved up to the attic.

It was nearing nighttime now. For the first time in hours, there was a lull in the boys' chatter and banter. Akira glanced at Ryuji, who was suddenly fidgeting.

"I'm thinkin' I haven't thanked you enough, y'know?" he suddenly asked, averting his eyes. "For everythin' you've done for me, I mean. For givin' me a place to belong."

Akira smiled lightly. "You did the same for me, Ryuji." Ryuji blushed, and Akira tilted his head. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothin'!" he answered automatically, then paused. "Sometimes I just can't believe it's real. I mean, if I hadn't met you I prolly would've been a nobody. I would've thought of myself as an effing useless screwup. And...that scares me sometimes." He looked up suddenly. "You understand, don't ya? You gotta know what it feels like to wonder how your life could've turned out differently..."

"I'm glad things have turned out the way they have," Akira answered. He hesitated, then walked across the room to sit next to Ryuji. "My life could have been really different too. But I'm not sure it would have been for the better. And yeah, I hear the rumors around school. I know almost no one trusts me. But I don't need any of those people. I only need the other Phantom Thieves... and you."

For a while, Ryuji didn't respond. The two sat together in silence, sharing an uncharacteristically heartfelt moment. And slowly, Akira reached out towards Ryuji's hand.

"What're you..." Ryuji trailed off, staring at their interlaced fingers. "I don't..." he stuttered incoherently, but didn't pull away.

"I really like you, Ryuji," Akira whispered. Ryuji hesitated.

"I dunno what to say..." he responded, barely audible. Still, he didn't move away.

"Am I right to assume that actions speak louder than words?" Akira asked, looking pointedly at their hands. Ryuji scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, then nodded. Slowly, he leaned his head on Akira's shoulder. The two boys sat in silence, enjoying the calm night.


	2. Chapter 2

After Ryuji and Akira had confessed their feelings to each other, the awkward phase in their relationship hadn't lasted long. The two quickly became playfully affectionate with each other. Akira understood that Ryuji wasn't sentimental often, and preferred to show his appreciation with gestures instead of words.

Even now, as Akira was heading to eat lunch, he heard his name being called. He looked over the crowd of students to see a grinning Ryuji by the stairs. Ryuji pointed up, and Akira nodded. They had been eating lunch on the roof recently. Akira told his other friends that he had agreed to tutor Ryuji for a while- a very believable excuse, unfortunately.

Once they were alone, the two boys smiled for real. "Hey, Ryuji," Akira said, kissing his cheek. He wished that he could spend time with the other Phantom Thieves, too. But this was one of the only opportunities he had to be alone with Ryuji. After school, Akira had what felt like 4 different part-time jobs. It was surprising he had been hired anywhere with such a sporadic schedule.

But he enjoyed his time with Ryuji. They still teased each other just as much as before the night in the attic a few weeks prior. Now, however, tenderness lay behind their words.

"Now if you fail your exams, everyone's going to laugh at me, too!" Akira snickered when Ryuji hit his arm.

"Well sor- _ry._ Not all of us have cats under the desk to help us cheat!" Ryuji exclaimed.

"You think a cat who can't remember where he comes from would know anything about Japanese history?"

"Well, he'd know more than you!"

"And definitely more than _you!_ " Akira retorted.

"That's the last straw, get over here!" Ryuji tackled Akira and they burst out laughing. Ryuji leaned down to kiss Akira briefly.

"My grades ain't that bad," he muttered.

"Yes they are, Ryuji. Studying just...isn't your strong suit."

"I haven't flunked outta school yet though! Ain't that all that matters?"

"If you say so, sweetheart," Akira answered, chuckling when Ryuji glared at him.

"Those...names aren't gonna do you any favors," Ryuji growled. "Well...not many...jeez. If you tell anyone else about this, I'm never gonna live it down." Akira's face dropped.

"Is that really what you want? To keep this a secret from everyone we trust?"

"Hey, where'd you get that from?" Ryuji responded hastily. "I never said I didn't want to let the others know, eventually. But some sides of me are just for you to see, alright?" He moved off of Akira and turned away. "I can't effin' believe I just said that..."

"Hey, that's okay," Akira said softly. "I agree. Some sides of me are all yours." Ryuji blushed furiously.

"Why do you gotta be so damn forward all the time?!" Akira put his arm around Ryuji and leaned towards his ear.

"Because seeing you flustered is absolutely adorable," he whispered. "But fine, I'll give you a break. Grrr, we're so manly," he deadpanned. Ryuji chuckled.

"Damn straight, Leader."


	3. Chapter 3

Akira walked through the halls after lunch, casually listening to everyone's conversations. _You never know when some new information could be useful,_ he thought. Plus, hearing praise for the Phantom Thieves pleased him. Especially when the same voices were gossiping about him not as a Thief, but as the dangerous transfer student.

The school's obsession for gossip that made him so proud to be a Phantom Thief was also the worst part of his day. Because whenever Akira walked by, almost everyone recoiled from him and started to murmur.

"Oh my god, he glared at me! We've never spoken! What if he tries to hurt me after school?" one girl whispered.

"Just leave, now!" the other girl hissed at her. "Someone in my class told me he carries a knife in his bag!" And the two girls ran down the stairs. Akira knew their classrooms weren't on the first floor.

 _Exactly,_ he thought to himself. _We've never spoken. They don't know a thing about me._ He clenched his fists. Most days he could tolerate the endless rumors surrounding him. But some days he cursed whatever cruel form of justice had made his life turn out like this. _Sometimes I wish I never spoke up. Then no one could say a thing about me._ The viciousness of the thought surprised him. He and the others risked their lives on a regular basis to fight for justice. But none of them had to deal with this.

Except...

Ryuji would understand. He got all kinds of crap from other students, especially the track team. And they didn't just whisper about him; they confronted him.

 _If he can deal with it, then I can,_ Akira resolved. And he tried not to let the rumors get to him.

But the next day, he heard more whispers.

"I heard he was in the Red-Light District last night!"

"Seriously, how creepy can you get? How can someone who's both sleazy and dangerous go to our school? Who on earth let him in?!"

They didn't care that Akira had actually gone there to help someone. They just heard about his criminal record and ran with it. Glaring at the floor, Akira entered his classroom.

"Hey, man!" Ryuji called from the back, grinning. Akira looked up briefly and forced a smile.

"Hello," he said shortly.

"Hey man, somethin' wrong? Was Morgana a buzzkill again? I know you hate it when he makes you go to bed early."

"Who're you calling a buzzkill?" Morgana yowled from Akira's backpack.

"Stay quiet," Akira reminded him, then sighed. "No, that's not the issue. Look, can we...talk later?" Most people saw Akira as the strongest of the group, and Akira preferred it that way. He had always preferred helping other people before himself. But that exact experience taught him that it was foolish to deal with frustration alone. And Akira trusted Ryuji more than anyone else in the world. Surely Ryuji wouldn't think badly of him for a moment of weakness.

"Yeah, sure," Ryuji answered as the bell rang, but looked surprised. A few minutes later, Akira felt his phone vibrate. It was a text from Ryuji.

 _Just hang on till the day is over._

Akira smiled in spite of his anger.

 _Thanks, Ryuji._


	4. Chapter 4

The school day had dragged on, but it was finally over. Ryuji took the train back to LeBlanc with Akira, and the two sat on the couch. Tentatively, Ryuji put his arm around Akira's waist.

"So, what's up? You okay? Well, shit, clearly not but...what should I do? Is it because of me? Ah, it probably was-"

"No, babe, it's nothing you did." Akira hesitated. "I just want some advice."

"Advice? From me?" Ryuji cleared his throat. "Anytime. What's up?"

"I can't stand all the gossipy students as Shujin," Akira exclaimed loudly. "Every time I walk by, they whisper and run. Every time I go to the library, they stare at me like they're expecting me to burn the place to the ground. I can't go anywhere or do anything without someone being suspicious of me!"

"Woah, calm down, Who gives an eff what other people think of ya, right? If they don't even give you a chance, them screw 'em."

"It hurts, Ryuji." Contrary to his earlier outburst, this admission was very quiet. Akira turned and buried his face in Ryuji's shoulder and continued, his voice muffled. "Why can no one give me a chance? I've been at the school for months. What's so wrong with me?"

"I'm telling you, man, nothing's wrong with you," Ryuji answered, unusually gently. "It's them. And I dunno why they wouldn't want to talk to you. Remind me what your last exam score was again?" Akira smiled into Ryuji's shirt.

"Top of the class, of course. I remember how impressed you were when you saw it."

"That's proof that they're stupid. I can't believe they're not falling all over you with scores like that."

"You mean like you are?" Akira pulled away with a smirk, regaining his usual playfulness. Ryuji looked away.

"Why you gotta bring that up now? I thought I was the one in charge for once!"

"In charge, huh?" Akira asked. "Ryuji, don't you realize that you have me completely wrapped around your finger?"

"Wha-no!" Ryuji answered, surprised. "It's totally the other way- hey, wait a second!" Akira burst out laughing as Ryuji glared at him. "Oh, you're feeling better now, huh? Figures." Akira kissed his cheek.

"Thanks to you."

"But I didn't do anything," Ryuji answered, confused. Akira smiled slightly.

"Of course you did."


End file.
